Speak Out February 2018

Branch News

Introducing Queensland’s speech pathology program in youth justice

Queensland

Background For the first time in Australia, a Youth Justice department will employ speech pathologists to work with vulnerable young people in the youth justice system. This is an important development in both the practice of speech pathology, and the government’s broader youth justice agenda that seeks to implement evidence-based reforms that reduce offending and reoffending. The decision has come out of recent recommendations from the Independent Review into Youth Detention in Queensland which has provided a unique opportunity to increase the therapeutic response to vulnerable young people involved in the youth justice system. It is also the practical manifestation of important research conducted by Snow, Powell and Sanger (2012) and LaVigne and Van Rybroek (2011), which highlights the problems faced by those with impaired language and communication interacting within a complex justice system. The need for speech pathologists in youth justice systems is supported around the world. The 2015 NSW Young People in Custody Health Survey Full Repor t reflected noteworthy outcomes of oral language skills and reading skills in young people in youth detention centres. 48.7% of young people in custody have severe (2 or more standard deviations below the mean) core language difficulties, 51.1% have severe single word reading difficulties, and 77.8% have severe reading comprehension difficulties (compared to the 2.2% of the rest of young people in the normal distribution). For the general population, this is distressing news. Sadly, it is consistent with much of the research in youth offending in Australia and internationally. Structure Queensland’s Youth Justice have funding for six positions – a senior practitioner, four youth detention centre-based speech pathologists (Brisbane and Townsville), and a regional speech pathologist. Our practice framework is being developed in collaboration with: • speech pathologists with experience in the youth justice system • researchers and educators in youth justice settings

• key Youth Justice senior staff and team leaders • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives, including members of Youth Justice’s First Nations Action Board. Key future directions for speech pathologists in Youth Justice in Queensland are to: • include speech pathologists in Youth Justice’s clinical governance; • raise awareness of the differences these differences permeate throughout phonology, grammar, semantics, social language, cultural schemas, and signing contexts. This is important due to the high number of young people in the youth justice system who have an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background, where English may be their second, third, or even fourth language; • support restorative justice practices within between Australian Aboriginal English, Torres Strait Islander languages/dialects and Standard Australian English − • lead the way in making information communication-accessible to young people. Recruitment In March, we will recruit for speech pathologists interested in being a part of the supportive and collaborative environment of Queensland’s youth detention centres. Applicants with several years of experience as a speech pathologist, and experience in working with people with mental health issues and/or disabilities are particularly encouraged. Positions will be advertised on the Smart Jobs website – www.smartjobs.qld.gov.au Stella Martin Speech and Language Pathologist Senior Practitioner – Youth Justice Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women Queensland Government Youth Justice − many young people with speech, language and communication difficulties may not understand the abstract legal language and procedures that occur, or the roles of the many stakeholders in the process;

QLD 1784 members as at November 2017

References: LaVigne, M. & Van Rybroek, G. (2011). Breakdown in the Language Zone: The Prevalence of Language Impairments among Juvenile and Adult Offenders and Why It Matters. UC Davis Journal of Juvenile Law and Policy , 15(1), 37--123. Snow, P.C., Powell, M.B., & Sanger, D.D. (2012). Oral law. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools , 43(4), 496—506. 2015 Young People in Custody Health Survey: Full Report. (2017). New South Wales, Australia: Justice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network and Juvenile Justice NSW. language competence, young speakers, and the

36

February 2018 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Speak Out